Lower Left Improv, based in Durango, is coming to Cortez for their first performance, hosted by the Sunflower Theatre. The show will feature professionally trained improvisers and local talent, and will be split into two acts.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m. The first act will be short-form improv, similar to Whose Line is it Anyway, and will feature Sarah Syverson, manager of the Sunflower Theatre and a creative partner with Lower Left, as well as special guests Kellie Pettyjohn, Nathan Brown and Silvia Fleitz, all Montezuma County locals.
The second act will be a long-form performance featuring founders Mary Quinn and Cindy Laudadio Hill in a segment they call “Cindy and Mary.” They will take one suggestion from the audience and create a scene on the spot.
Laudadio Hill and Quinn met in 2021, with their first performance together in 2022, and Lower Left was officially named in 2023.
“It’s been a very organic process, in that I love improv, Mary loves improv, we both have been trained in Chicago, New York (Los Angeles), Denver and so forth,” Laudadio Hill told a Journal reporter.
Laudadio Hill described her and Quinn’s improv relationship as “symbiotic,” which made their performances fun to participate in, and drew more attention from larger audiences.
Larger audiences and demonstrated interest in the area led them to teaching improv and performing more. They started in the Durango Arts Center, and by word-of-mouth, they grew. Now, they’ve got their own studio space on Main Avenue in Durango.
“Now we’re in full production mode, so to speak. We’ve got Sarah now teaching with us, and she’s one of our wonderful creative partners,” Laudadio Hill said.
Their classes are taught in two modules. The Green Module is geared for beginners who want to explore improvisation and their creative side. The Blue Module is for more experienced improvisers, and introduces them to long-form improvisation.
Lower Left plans to bring Green Module classes to Cortez in September as they work to forge a connection with Montezuma County. Syverson said that goats will be involved.
“That’s what Sarah has brought, a beautiful connection to Montezuma County, and that’s really what improvisation is all about. It’s about community, cooperation and collaboration, and then play,” Laudadio Hill said.
She said that if people could get back to playing the way they know instinctively how to do, mental health and community connections would be better.
“Play is all about negotiation with low consequences,” she said. “Have a sense of humor, people!”
Laudadio Hill became interested in improv in the 1990s when she found a class in Boulder. She had done creative corporate work and thought that the class would be a fun opportunity. From Day One, she knew that these were her people.
“It answered all the questions that I needed in terms of finding people who were like-minded to create and discover on the spot.”
When asked about memorable shows or classes, Laudadio Hill used the expression “Jump, and a net will appear.” When improvisers take chances with a scene, they can come together and create a net to make it work, and those are her favorite moments.
When teaching beginners and nonperformers, Lower Left strives to connect students with what they are devoted to in life. Laudadio Hill cited a specific example where she got a hepatitis C researcher to explain his research in the simplest terms and connect to the emotional side of the research.
Laudadio Hill and Syverson sung Quinn’s praises. Quinn has been professionally trained in several schools of improv in the Chicago area, and her creative partners commended her teaching and performance skills.
“She’s very well versed in all the different schools of improvisation, and also just awesome,” Laudadio Hill said. “She’s an amazing instructor,” Syverson added.
Syverson shared her excitement about the performance and the growing connection between Lower Left and the Sunflower Theatre.
“I’ve been a part of other improv troupes, and this one has a really special feel in terms of growing community and including people of all different types to be able to get on stage and play,” Syverson said.
“I think … improv is so important and vital and lovely and joyful to bring here because of that connecting element that improv does. It’s accessible to community members, so we’re not bringing in professionals from out of state or something. These are regional leaders.”
She studied at The Second City in Chicago. She came to Durango and was writing and performing one-person improv, and began doing other events with the Sunflower Theatre.
She felt compelled to apply to work at the Sunflower Theatre, and started as the manager about six weeks ago. The Sunflower Theatre hasn’t had a theater manager since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Syverson and Tom Yoder, executive director of both the Sunflower and KSJD, talked about the intentions of the Sunflower Theatre as they reemerge after the pandemic.
“My intention is to build community and connection with talents that are here, letting them bloom and flower,” Syverson said.
Syverson also shared that the KSJD Radio staff and team have been working since last year to support events and bring shows to the Sunflower Theatre, committing their evenings and weekends to the cause.
Tickets to Lower Left Improv’s show on July 19 are $15 and can be purchased on the Sunflower Theatre website at https://sunflowertheatre.org/events/lower-left-improv-comedy-show-comes-to-moco/. Proceeds will go to the Sunflower Theatre.
